Tuesday, July 27, 2010

We are the laziest state

From thetowntalk dot com (http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20100727/OPINION/7270328/Our-View-Some-food-for-thought-for-lazy-Louisiana)

The self-appointed fitness police at BusinessWeek.com have pointed a big, fat finger at us and called the Bayou State the Laziest State in America.

On average, we sleep, goof off and watch TV more than other Americans, and we work a whole lot less.

So says the online publication, which analyzed five years of data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its American Time Use Survey.

Here's how the report paints a day in the life of the average Louisianan who is at least 15 and is not living in a nursing home, prison or other institution:

--Time sleeping: 8 hours, 44 minutes (U.S. average, 8 hours, 35 minutes).

--Time watching TV: 3 hours, 5 minutes (U.S. average, 2 hours, 38 minutes).

--Time relaxing and thinking: 29 minutes (U.S. average, 18 minutes).

--Time socializing: 54 minutes (U.S. average, 44 minutes).

--Time working: 2 hours, 41 minutes (U.S. average, 3 hours, 22 minutes).

--Median age: 35.1

--Obesity ranking: No. 5 (as in "fifth fattest" (31.2 percent).

"We aren't trying to beat up on Louisiana," the report says. "Goodness knows, between Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill, the state has been through some tough times in recent years. But the statistics speak for themselves: Residents of the state (which happens to be the country's third-poorest) watch more television per day than any other Americans except South Carolinians. They also rank third for being the most social, which includes entertaining and talking with friends, family and other acquaintances. The average time spent working among all Louisianans is shorter than all other states."

The report goes out of its way to say that "lazy" means "sedentary," not "lacking work ethic." That was smart. Louisianans are known for their ability to hunt and track just about anything. (Of course, they are known for cooking and eating just about anything, too.)

Given that Louisianans think more than most others in America, this is good food for thought.

This is so screwed up!!  Who works 2 hours a day?  I work 9!  Only an hour to socialize a day?   .  I am going to go dig up their stats. 



Two hours after I found this online article, they changed the word "lazy" to "sedentary".

Oh, and I heard that the big fat weatherman on the weather channel - Al Roker - said that something had to be wrong with calling us sedentary, because when one thinks, one is sedentary.

His twitter I.D. is @alroker.

No comments:

Monday Morning Smile